Compact sport utility vehicles (SUV’s) and luxury 4×4 vehicles can offer a wonderful driving experience. These vehicles combine the features of small to midsize cars with the advantages of larger vehicles. They thus represent an amalgam of hybrid that make them useful, versatile, stylish, and just plain fun. The following are some of the driving advantages of these vehicles:
Even a compact SUV generally has more space than an ordinary car. They are designed with extra space in mind. This applies both to passenger space in terms of leg room, head room, and general manoeuvrability within the vehicle and to cargo space. It is usually easier to stash large items in an SUV thanks to the generally spacious design. This can be great for people outward bound type of travel in which sports equipment such as backpacks, skis, snowboards, surf boards, and so on play a part. It can also be helpful for chores like moving furniture or hauling junk.
Though some concerns have been raised about an increased potentiality for SUVs to tip over as compared with cars, on the whole today’s SUVs are quite safe and handle well on a variety of road conditions. The abilities of SUVs and luxury 4x4s in off road travel (as discussed a bit further below) far outweigh those of regular cars. The general handling will vary with particular models but SUVs are agile and high performance autos that often have impressive specs. Driving them can be a lot of fun from a simple road handling perspective.
The off road capability of SUVs, particularly those that have “4×4” or four wheel drive capability, is one of their chief advantages over cars. They are built to be further off the ground than other vehicles and thus able to navigate rough terrain without damaging the undercarriage. If they do have four wheel drive capability, this greatly increases their traction and ability to extricate themselves from adverse off road conditions like mud, brush, and snow. The experience of being able to cruise through rough terrain and be relatively certain that there will be no trouble is a great one in itself.
Another way to think about off road capability is that man SUVs are large enough to sleep in comfortably, or at least more comfortably than a car would be. So as camping vehicles and alternatives to traditional large and relatively clumsy vans and campers, SUVs are often very useful. They have more versatility and lightness than these large behemoths and yet still offer room, convenience, and “sleep ability.”
